If you’re like me, you go to the store to get one thing, and before you know it, your arms are so full of stuff you keep dropping things because why get a basket if you’re only getting one thing, right? So that’s what happened when I saw pomegranates making their yearly appearance a few weeks ago. I bought them without thinking what to use them in as I often do, but I wasn’t too worried that they would go to waste. Pomegranate seeds are tasty with apples, so that’s why I thought to combine the two into a pie filling. If you’re like me, you also think individual pies or tarts are way cuter than one big one, so I used Martha’s recipe for pie crust to make these turnovers. Sure, you could buy a box of premade pie crust or puff pastry, but where’s the fun (or deliciousness) in that? I’ll start by showing you how to make the crust and then post a second time with the instructions for making the filling and assembling the turnovers so it isn’t too long.

Making a pie crust is not as hard as it sounds, I promise. Just remember the golden rule: Thy butter shalt always be cold. I cut it up into pieces, then put it into the freezer for 20 minutes or so until it is extra cold. Same goes for using ice water. The reason for this is working with the dough, especially with your hands, will start to melt the butter if it’s not cold enough, and melted butter does not a flaky, delicious crust make. You can make this with the food processor, and I often do, but I just used my hands this time since not everyone has a food processor.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup ice water, plus more if needed

Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add butter (reminder, it should be really cold, so put it in the freezer for 20 minutes before you start working with your hands) and start breaking it up into the flour, either using a pastry cutter or your hands, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining.

Remove the ice from the water. How much you use depends on a lot of things, like whether you accurately measured your flour (spooning it into the measuring cup) or even the humidity, so start by drizzling the cold water into the flour/butter mixture and mixing it together with a spoon. I used 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp cold water. When the dough starts to come together, you can ditch the spoon and just press the dough together until it forms a ball.

Then, divide it up into 2 equal portions. Shape those into rectangles and wrap in plastic wrap and then put it in the refrigerator for at least an hour. This both rests the dough and chills the butter again.